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Visitor > Arts & Heritage > Historical Locations > Sentry Hill

Sentry Hill

T. 0300 123 7788
E. culture@antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk
Ballycraigy road, Newtownabbey, BT36 4SX

Holiday Openings

Open Monday 5 May and Monday 26 May 12pm -4.30pm

 

The McKinney Family

The McKinney Family
 

Sentry Hill has been long associated with the McKinney family who first came from Scotland to Ireland in the 18th century. James McKenzie, a highlander who took part in the Jacobite Rising of 1715 fled to Ireland in 1716 with Helen Campbell, his fiancée. The Campbell clan had fought on the Hanoverian side and Helen’s family were opposed to her marrying a ‘rebel’. James and Helen were married in Carnmoney Presbyterian Church in 1717. It was not until the 1780s that a grandson, Andrew, occupied Sentry Hill.

The house is open weekends only and entry is by guided tour only with no set times. The garden and museum are open every day except Mondays.

Sentry Hill History

Built in 1835 in the townland of Ballyvesey, Sentry Hill replaced the existing thatched farmhouse. In the 1880s it was improved with the addition of front porch and conservatory, bathroom and kitchen. Each generation of the family made changes to suit the times they lived in. Yet the house’s unique personality remained. Sentry Hill was a physical link between generations of McKinneys.

Remarkably the contents of Sentry Hill have survived almost intact. A wealth of artefacts and archival material was amassed down the years. Credit for this must primarily go to William Fee McKinney who was born in 1832. His extensive collection provides a rare insight into the working lives, social activities, beliefs and values of rural families in Ulster during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Sentry Hill house and farm remained in family ownership until 1996 with the death of Dr Joe Dundee, grandson of William Fee McKinney. The old cliché ‘there’s no place like home’ was far from clichéd for both the McKinney and Dundee families. Sentry Hill occupied a central place in their thoughts and feelings.

Entry Details and Opening Times

 

Sentry Hill is open from Easter until 14 September 2025

Tuesday – Sunday 10.30am – 4.30pm

Entry to the site including gardens, museum and toilets is free.

The house is open weekends only and entry is by guided tour only with no set times.  

The garden and museum are open every day except Mondays.

Visiting the house during weekend opening hours is by guided tour only with costs as below:

  • Adult: £5
  • Child & Concession: £3.50
  • Family: £15

To book school or group visits during or outside of the standard opening times please contact us via E. culture@antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk